Battle of the Spirit
by Keidox
Summary: Somethings there. Hidden in the depths of Cephiro. Everyone can feel it's there but what is it? Who could it be? Whatever it is, it feels evil...
1. A Shadow

Hidden Secrets The Beginning  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own a thing so don't sue, I'm broke anyway Author's Note: This takes place a few years after they save Cephiro the second time. They are 20 years old now and out of school. Hikaru is now a highly established vet (she turned out to be a genius and got her PHD in just 2 years (hey it could happen). Umi is a fashion model for a Japanese clothing agency and an all star for the Japanese world fencing team. Fuu is a physicist working at a hospital lab and an expert on time and space travel. They don't know why but the portal to Cephiro has been closed, seemingly for good.  
  
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A shadowed figure slid down the hall. Heading towards a huge oaken door at the end. A thin beam of light crossed the body, revealing a heavily cloaked figure. Footsteps sounded, approaching the figure quickly. Crouching down, the figure crept into the security of a velvet drape hanging from the window. The footsteps passed quickly and the shadowed figure walked on again. It approached the door cautiously, mumbling a few words before grabbing the handle and pulling it open, showing a brightly-lit bedroom. The figure stepped in, closing the door behind it. Once sure that no one was around, it dropped the cloak, revealing a tall man, looking to be about 20. He wore cream colored robes that glittered with gold every time he moved. An odd shaped headpiece pushed his lavender hair from his face. This was Clef. Master mage of all Cephiro. 


	2. Dreams and Visions

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.  
  
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Umi sat in her apartment, staring out the large bay window that overhung the ocean waves. She sighed. Memories of past times burned deep into her mind. She watched as her memory replayed them over and over again. What she'd give to just be with him for one last day. To have him hold her in his arms. But she didn't know if he wanted her that way. She didn't know at all and if he did, there was probably another girl that had already took her place, she thought miserably as a single tear slid down her cheek. Another girl. Somewhere in the heart of Cephiro.  
  
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Back in Cephiro.  
  
Clef walked to a painting that hung on the wall closest to his bed. He said yet another word and the portrait swung open to reveal a wall. That's right a wall. Clef reached into a small pouch that hung by his side and pulled out a small but intricately designed key. He took it and inserted it into a small crack at the very top of the bricks. It was so tiny that without a magnifier, it would be almost impossible to see. The crack seemed to widen but so slowly that one might begin to think that it was one's imagination. The crack opened about half a foot to reveal a small thin box that appears to have been roughly shoved in. He withdrew the small case and opened it, pulling out a few small items, including a small gold ring, inscribed with waves and a dragon encircling a beautiful aquamarine stone that reflected into your eyes the water crashing in the sea. It was hung on a thin gold link necklace. The second item was a worn piece of parchment, on it was a map of some unknown region that no one knew except for him. Another item was a small crystal about the size of your fist. It had a silver sheen to it as if it were trying to view another area far far away. The next item was a detailed photo of a tower, identified to him as the Tokyo Tower in Japan. A last item was a small picture. Beautiful all the same. A girl, about 16 sat on a stone. The waves of the ocean crashing at her feet. A soft smile lit her face as she stared into the light of the full moon. Her bright blue eyes seemed to glow from within as blue strands of hair tickled her face when the ocean's breeze blew softly against her back. Clef shook his head, freeing his mind from the image. His thoughts now clear, he took another longing glance at the photo before replacing all the items and closing them up again. He would see her again and soon. He would tell her...tell her the truth. All that she deserved to know.  
  
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Hikaru shot up. Her body drenched in beads of sweat as she recalled the terror that had awakened her.  
  
~A dark fog encircled her body, an evil laugh rang from the wall, A scream from another. She struggled through the fog, only to find that with each step she took that the voices became farther and farther away. The fog pressed against her body. Every step she took, it felt as if her body was struggling through quicksand. Another scream. She tried to call out but found a gloved hand covering her mouth as thin cords wrapped her body. She tried to escape to no avail. 'Help, someone please help me' she thought feverently. 'Watch out Magic knight. Your path will soon become difficult. Be on your guard.' Rayearth's voice echoed through her head as a flash of pain ripped through her body and she fell to the floor unconscious ~  
  
The warning flashed through her mind. She recalled the long forgotten voice. 'Rayearth?' she thought 'Well whatever it means will probably come soon enough. I'll call Umi and Fuu this weekend. It'll be good to meet again, just like old times.' With that thought, Hikaru fell back to sleep as her mind kept playing the dream in bits and flashes through her restless slumber.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Fuu paced nervously at the entrance to the Tokyo Tower. She hadn't been there in years and wondered why Hikaru had chosen this moment to call them together. Fuu stopped, startled, when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Umi- chan," she cried, delighted to see her friend again. "Hey Fuu. You look great. How are you?" Umi asked. "I'm fine. How's the fashion model business going?" The short conversation was cut off abruptly as a person crashed in between them. "Hikaru-san!!" they shouted as the short red head was hidden in hugs. "I missed you guys," she said. "Let's go in."  
  
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Clef sat thinking in his chair in his study. He pondered the image that he had just seen in his crystal. It was the forest of silence and three hooded travelers were walking slowly to the castle. The hood slid off one of the heads enough to reveal a red headed woman. She appeared to be Hikaru but as she looked around, he could see her face. The carefree loving face of Hikaru was replaced with a mask of darkness. Hatred twisted Hikaru's features while in her eyes, the same ones in which a spark of love and joy was always held, was a dark gleam. Evil, none to say the least. 'What was this?' Clef thought. 'Are those the Magic knights? And if they are, what's happened to them that has turned Hikaru's face into one as evil and loathing as that and why are they coming this way? Is Cephiro in danger?' He shook his head. A thin smile appeared on his lips. 'Shame on you Guru. Becoming paranoid because of an image. It may not even be true. And if it were, why would the Magic Knights, the saviors of this world be coming to attack us?' Clef stared into the fireplace, unable to help the sinking feeling of his heart.  
  
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Author's note - I'll give you a hint. The image that Clef saw is real. Any guesses to who it might be? Next chapter will be up soon. Please review. Any feedback is good, just don't flame me. 


	3. Back Again

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Author's Note to Akari Shyni : I know that only the pillar can summon from Cephiro but work with me here. Pretend that maybe Mokona did it.  
  
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Hikaru ran up and down the stairways of Tokyo Tower, forgetting for the time being that she was supposed to be and adult. Umi and Fuu grinned at each other before racing up the stairways after their friend. The top floor was the observation deck. Hikaru reached it first, her having the head start. She raced from balcony to balcony before coming to a halt in the center of the room to wait for Umi and Fuu. Hikaru sat on the cold tiles while waiting. She had tired herself out with all of that running around. She heard laughter in the stairway. "Umi, Fuu, up here!" Hikaru shouted to her friends. At that moment, a blinding column of light appeared, engulfing Hikaru for a few seconds, before disappearing and taking with it the last pillar of Cephiro.  
  
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Clef snapped awake in an instant. Something had changed. Something big. He quickly moved over to the balcony, scanning the surface of his world. All seemed right, nothing out of place. There was just that feeling in the air. A presence of someone or something different. His mind quickly flicked back to the image that he had seen just the night before. Could this be it? It didn't feel dangerous, he thought quietly to himself. Just wild.  
  
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Umi and Fuu walked up the steps to where they had heard their little friend's voice. As they reached the top, the looked around cautiously, just in case Hikaru decided to tackle them. Finding no one they shouted, "Hikaru? Where are you? This is no time to play." But the only response that they got was an empty silence. They walked around the floor. Checking every place that a small girl could hide in. Puzzled, they met in the center of the deck, looking worried. As their feet touched the center tile, A familiar light started washing over them, starting at their feet and moving upwards. Fuu screamed and tried to back away, only to find that her feet were stuck down to the floor. Umi tried to wrench her feet out of the pool of blue light at her feet but she had no better results than Fuu. A green light swam up her neck, completely covering Fuu before she and Umi, in blue light, disappeared from the Tokyo Tower.  
  
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To Hikaru, it appeared as if the room had started swimming. She felt as if she was moving but she was staying still. The tiles at her feet slowly became replaces with a thick spongy mat of grass, while the glass of the observation deck became at thick grove of trees. 'Where am I?' she wondered, 'Isn't it too obvious? Where have you seen trees like that?' the sensible side of her brain told her. 'You are in Cephiro.' "Cephiro?!" she whispered, almost afraid that if she said it too loud that it would fade back again. While she stared and took in her surroundings, beams of blue and green light shot out of the grass as Fuu and Umi appeared, both looking as stunned and unbelieving as she did, once they realized their surroundings. "Cephiro?" said Fuu, "We can't be here. The portal was closed." "Well, either someone summoned us here again or the doors reopened," Umi stated mater-of-factly. Hikaru motioned with her hands, saying, "Come on guys, let's see if we can find someone to help us and figure out what's going on. Now, which way is the castle? Oh, wait a minute. Let's see if this still works. RAYEARTH!" she shouted. The fire mashin, now in its beast form, appeared in a flash. 'Welcome back Magic Knight.' the mashin's voice echoed in her mind. "Will you take us to the castle Rayearth?" she asked. 'The other Magic Knights must call their own to them. I can take only you.' was his reply. Seeing Fuu and Umi looking strangely at them, only being able to hear one side of the conversation, Hikaru told them, "Rayearth says that you have to call Windom and Celes because he can't carry you." "Oh..." Fuu said quietly before shouting, "WINDOM." and Umi shouting after, "CELES!" Hikaru, Fuu and Umi donned their spirits and flew up to the sky to search for the castle where they could hopefully find help and to find out why they are here and if they were here for something, was there a new danger plaguing Cephiro?  
  
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Author's Note: Reviews help a lot. I can't write something that no one is reading, it makes no sense. So read and review. The next chapter will hopefully be out soon. 


	4. Light Trouble

Disclaimer: I don't own anything and it would make no sense if I did cause if I did I would be taking them to a publisher or something and even if I was putting it here, why would I have a disclaimer in the first place? Author's Note: I haven't decided who gets Hikaru's attention yet. Eagle or Lantis? I don't know. Hopefully I can figure it out by the next chapter.  
  
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Fuu had forgotten the feeling of soaring through the sky in a mashin of her own. Her eyes roamed freely in search of the palace. Her thoughts wandered to a certain person she was to meet inside. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts and concentrate on finding the castle but her mind kept thinking of him. His eyes, his hair, his face, anything about him. She fingered the band on her finger. He gave it to her long ago. Was there someone else? There had to be. A person couldn't be the prince of Cephiro and not have girls throwing themselves at your feet, especially if you were as good looking as he was. His name slipped through her lips as tears welled at the corner of her eye. "Ferio..." she whispered as a single tear coursed down her cheek. She shook her head abruptly. Telling herself that if she was even to see him again that she must find the castled first. What happened would happen. She could deal with all of that later.  
  
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Ferio shot straight up in bed. His dreams had been tormented with images of her and of her finding happiness with another man. Ever since they had stopped coming back. What had happened? Had they gotten tired of Cephiro? Or was it that they became tired of the people in it. He missed her face, her hands. But most of all he missed her smile and bright personality. Every time she smiled at him, he felt his heart soar. She was enough to brighten his day anytime. He missed her so much. He wasn't the same after she left. Withdrawing into himself. Not letting any one come close to him. He was hurting too much inside. But this night, it was different. He could feel her presence, as if she were standing right next to him. He heard her voice whispering in his ear, feel her lips brushing against face. He saw her face in his mind, he felt a tear sliding down her face. He wanted to hold her to him tight. He wanted to brush away that tear and banish what was troubling her. But he couldn't. It was only a dream. But still...he could feel that she was close even though he was fully awake...  
  
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Clef hadn't slept since he had felt the strange presence in the magical network of Cephiro. It was as if there was a strange force dulling he senses. He couldn't pinpoint it nor could he view it in his crystal, no matter how hard he tried. Trying once again to see what was going on, Clef left his chair and gazed into is crystal. His brow furrowed. He poured all of his concentration into the stone which was cloudy in appearance, as if something was happening but it wasn't sure what. Clef was so preoccupied that he didn't notice s his staff started to levitate to the balcony. He didn't notice that the balcony doors swung open on their own. Or even when his staff started to spin wildly. He noticed when his staff started to glow. He noticed and stared in shock as the glow extended up into the sky, as if creating a beacon. He ran to the doors. Only to be repelled by a force unknown to him. What was going on?  
  
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Umi was the first to see it. A thin strand of light extending to the stars. "Hikaru! Fuu! look at this!" she shouted to her friends. They flew towards it as fast as possible. A feeling stirred in Umi. There was something familiar about that light, strangely familiar. Racing towards the beam, it shifted slightly, thin lashed out like a whip towards them. in an instant it was upon them, reaching out to grab them. The tried to run, only to find that they were stuck in the air. They were helpless as the beam wrapped itself around them. The mashins had disappeared. The three of the magic knight were towed along, towards the source and whatever was there. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
No one was more surprised than Clef when he saw the three magic knights being pulled towards him by a beam of light, emitting from his staff. A frozen look on their faces. He had watched helpless as the cord has swerved suddenly and then just as quickly pulling in. The mage cried out as the barrier disappeared and the girls had been dropped on his balcony, motionless. They remained in their trance like state, slumping on the floor, eyes open and that glazed look. It was almost as if they were dead. But he could tell that they weren't. Their chests rose with their breathing. But still they remained motionless. Even as he amplified his voice to stretch through the castle, shouting for the people to come, and quickly. Presea, Caladina and LaFarga came running at once. Ascot and Lantis came next, with striding in. Ferio came last, slouching and mumbling to himself. He like the others froze in the doorway to stare. He broke into the stunned silence by lunging forwards, crying out, "FUU!" He slid towards their unmoving bodies, cradling Fuu in his arms, sobbing softly. 


	5. Soul Travels

Disclaimer: I don't own anything okay? Author's Note: Sorry to all the Umi/Ascot and Hikaru/Lantis fans out there. I couldn't help but go with Umi/Clef and Hikaru/Eagle. I guess I wanted to try something different and I could never get their personalities right. Lantis just seemed so cold and unemotional and I just never connected to Ascot like I did the rest. Anyways, It just seemed right to connect who I did. So once again sorry to and of the people that I may have offended by pairing who I did to who.  
  
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Hikaru slowly slipped in and out of consciousness. Her mind wandered far from her body when she found that she couldn't move when she entered back into herself. She took her mind through the familiar passageways of the castle. She stopped as she was passing a certain room. As she passed through the doors she found that the familiar room faded away into nothingness. As she moved farther into the black, the scenery melted again, this time into the garden and the fountain. Her breath caught in her throat as she recognized the one person resting on the fountain ledge. She drifted towards him calling to him, but he appeared not to hear. She drifted closer and breathed in his ear, "Eagle..."  
  
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Eagle dropped back into his body at once. Startled from his wanderings. He could have sworn that she was there. He felt her but paid no attention at first, considering it to be the last of his illness draining the sense from him. But then there was that voice. He frowned and closed his eyes, going deeper into his meditation. Unleashing his mind to roam. He found her, drifting. He was very surprised that she was transparent like he was. He willed his voice to speak, "Hikaru," It was more like a statement than a question, although it had the tone of a ponder in it. She whirled. Seeing no one she continued on. He stared after her. She had grown much in the past years. She had grown taller and her body had filled out, making her very attractive, not that he needed her to have those to be attracted to her. He had been since he had first laid eyes on her. She still had that braid although it was longer and reached down to her waist. It was still that flaming red and her eyes still held that child-like innocence but with a sense of maturity to them. He floated towards her and grabbed her wrist. She stopped, shocked. There appeared to be no one there yet the feeling it gave her felt familiar in more kinds than one. Seeing her gaze around frantically to see who was holding her, he willed himself to appear. Hikaru saw the briefest flickering of the air in front of her before he appeared as she did, transparent. "What are you doing here?" he whispered. "I...I don't know..." she replied, equally as quiet, unable to tear her gaze away his eyes. "Are you really here or are you a figment of my imagination?" he asked. "I don't know. I was in Cephiro and in my mashin the last time I checked then a rope of light caught Umi, Fuu, and me and then I was like this. Oh and my body's in a room over there." She added, worry crossed her face as she said to him, "Umi and Fuu are like this too I think. Will you help me find them?" "Of course I will, just let me get back into my own body really quick so I can tell Clef and the others. If my guess is correct, they're probably really worried just looking at your empty bodies." "Oh..." she replied, "I'll follow...or wait a minute. Is it okay with you if I join you?" Seeing his confused look, she added, "In your mind I mean." He nodded and they drifted back to his room, where they both joined and entered Eagle's head. They walked to the room where Hikaru's body was, Hikaru leading.  
  
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Clef was pacing as Eagle came in. Lantis looked him over as he said, "Shouldn't you be resting Eagle? You're still recovering you know." Concern flashed through his eyes. "I'm fine Lantis, really. I just need to tell the Guru what Hikaru wants him to know." "Hikaru?!" Lantis said. "Eagle, Hikaru is right here. She and the other knights are here. Something happened to them." "I know that Lantis. She told me. Her mind was wandering through the castle when I found her." Everyone stared at him. He spotted Clef in front of the fireplace. He walked over to him and told him exactly what Hikaru had told him. Clef frowned. He asked, "Where is she now?" "She's right here, in my head. She can't move her body for some reason when she goes in it." Everyone gaped at him. "Oh, Hikaru wants to know if she can get into your head now. She wants to talk one on one for a little before she goes looking for Umi and Fuu." "What!?" he asked, before it dawned on him, "Oh right of course. Do I have to do anything?" "She says no, just open your mind and stand still." Hikaru left Eagle regretfully. She had learned a lot about him. She was careful not to pry into his secrets though. She floated over to Clef, hesitating a moment before sliding her mind together with Clef. Eagle fainted. "I guess I over did myself..." he murmured, as he was carried off by Lantis and LaFarga, back to his room.  
  
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Clef was momentarily overwhelmed as he felt Hikaru's presence. She told him everything she knew about the situation. From her dream on Earth to now. He filled her in on what was going on here. He told her that some powerful source was keeping their bodies immobile for now and that he would have to trace it before removing it. She told him that she was going to look for Fuu and Umi now, with Eagle's help. With that last comment, she left. Clef staggered for a bit, before adjusting to his own mind alone. She had left him a variety of things to think about.  
  
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